Review: The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



While I can't help but suspect that I'm a little older than the target audience, this was still a tremendous read. This was both a touching and hilarious look at the life of one Sutter Keely. Specifically, looking at the last half of his senior year of high school.

I really appreciate the way that Tharp explores Sutter's world. I have no idea how "authentic" it is--I'm a long way out of high school, so I can't even begin to know what teens go through these days--but, the attitudes felt very true to me, and I could certainly empathize with Sutter's lack of direction and frustrations.

One of the aspects I appreciated the most about the book was the realistic way that it approaches Sutter's problems. Told from his perspective, Sutter sees himself as the life of the party, the guy that everyone loves. And, to be sure, he seems like a pretty fun guy to be around sometimes, but, while he doesn't see it, there are lots of glimpses of the problems that he has. As the book goes on, and his drinking gets worse, we catch little glimpses of the ways that his friends are getting tired of his shit. He doesn't see it, of course, but the distance starts to grow between him and the people around him. He finds excuses for it that have nothing to do with him, because that's what addicts do, but I think that Tharp respects the reader enough to believe that they'll see what he sees in Sutter, too; a lost and lonely kid who has a serious problem.

There are moments where Sutter has realizations--especially during the trip home from his father's place--and, ultimately, that's part of what makes this such a great book. Sutter is at a crossroads, but he's an addict. You don't just turn that off. It's a battle, and, while he's a likable enough guy, Sutter is still a kid. That he was able to recognize the toxicity and danger he represented to Aimee was powerful and poignant.

So, is this a happy story? Absolutely not. It's a tragedy.





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